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Enact legislation to resolve the problems of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan

It has been nineteen years since the Korean Council requested a full investigation and resolution of the issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. During this time, international organizations such as the United Nations and the International Labor Organization defined the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery system as constituting a war crime and grave violation of human rights and have advised the Japanese government on multiple occasions to take responsibility. With the passing of House Resolution 121 in the US, a chain reaction began which has seen the adoption of similar resolutions in other countries around the world. Furthermore, city councils throughout Japan have also passed similar resolutions urging the Japanese government to settle this issue. However, the Japanese government continues to avoid responsibility and survivors of this military sexual slavery system now aged in their 80s continue to pass away, keeping their scars and suffering inside and without witnessing the settlement they had hoped for.

Last year Japanese people voted for a change in government for the first time in fifty-four years. Japan’s Democratic Party of Japan coalition cabinet has announced that it will actively resolve problems from the past in contrast to the policies of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party. Therefore, the Japanese government must recognize Military Sexual Slavery by Japan not only as a war crime that has not yet been settled, but also as a severe violation of women’s rights, and must enact legislation in order to settle this issue and prevent a repetition of this system in the future.

In this context, we demand that:

The Japanese government and parliament must enact legislation to settle this issue including making reparations and an official apology to survivors of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan